Alternating current relay



O. A. ROSS ALTERNATING CURRENT RELAY Original Filed Nov. 14. 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet l Aug. 7,` 1934.

INVENTo BY a.

// ATTORNEY Aug. 7, 1934. O. A. ROSS 1,969,096

LTERNATING CURRENT RELAY Original Filed Nov. 14 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 lNvENoR ATTORNEY Patented Aug. 7, 1934 Oscar A. Ross`,'New Y`orkN. Y., assigner Ito Gen- Y.

eral Railway Signal Company, Rochester,

original apiieationnbver'nber 14, L1925,fserliiir1No. 69,130. Divided and this application September 25, 1930, Serial No. 484,414 Y 1 s claims. (ci. 175-294) This invention relates to relays, and more particularly to that class of relays known as signalling relays employing alternating current for their operation.

This application is a division of application Ser. No. 69,130, led November 14, 1925.

One object is to provide means for automatically heating the interior of a relay during periods of extremely cold weather when lowered temperatures might cause interference with the proper operation of said relay. In localities where the outside temperature seldom reaches zero for any length of time the heat dissipated by the energized windings of relays used for railway signal control or for track circuits or the like is suflicient to maintain the interior chambers of such relays sufficiently high to avoid a freezing of any moisture which may have gathered therein due to condensation or the like and 20 thus avoid freezing of such moisture which might cause a failure of the signals on the side of danger, by giving a clear signal when dangeroustrafc conditions exist. 1

However when such relays are operated .in colder localities where sub-zero temperatures .are encountered for long periods of time, there is insufficient heat dissipated by operation of the relay to safeguard against freezing of moisture and resulting danger of false clear indications. It is therefore desirable to provide additional heating means, controlled so that they are in .operation only when additional heat is required.

A further object of the invention is to provide automatic cut-out means which will prevent operation of the relay motor, should the ambient temperature become dangerously low, either due to the heating means being inoperative,` or dueto the heating means being ineffective to maintain a proper temperature because of unusually low outside temperatures.

,Other objects and advantages will appear as the description of the invention progresses, and the novel features of the invention will be pointed out in the appended claims.

This invention consists in the novel construction and arrangement of parts hereinafter described, delineated in the accompanying drawings, and particularlypointed out in that portion of the instrument wherein patentable novelty is claimed for certain and peculiar features of the device, it being understood that, within the scope of what hereinafter thus is claimed, divers changes in the form, proportions size and minor .g55 details of the structure may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention, or sacriiicing any of the details. V

In describing the invention in detail, reference is had to the accompanying drawings, wherein I have illustrated one embodiment of vmy invention and wherein like characters of reference designate corresponding parts throughout the several views, and in which:-- l

Fig. 1 is an elevational front view of the preferredform of my invention; l

Fig. 2 is a top view, with what is known as the contacting mechanism removed to show the interior of the relay; Y' i Fig. 3 is a part sectional, part elevationalview taken on the line A--A of Fig. 1; Y

Fig. 4, shows,ldiagrammatically, heating means for the relay; e f

The relay comprises two general units, one the contacting mechanism, and they otherthe motor movement and case. The contacting mechanism comprises insulation plate 4, secured by screws 4l and depending from which are bearing brackets 5 and 6, pivotally mounted in which is contact bar '7, having trunnions 8 and 9, at-each end and circuit closingldevices, or contacts as 10 and 11 mounted on opposite parallel sides thereof. Said contacting devices 10 and 11, are more fully described in my co-pending application for-Letters Patent Serial Number 65,399, filed October 28 1925, suitable means, (not shown) serving to holdl said contacts to said bar. Alsosecured to bar '7, by' screws 38-38 is' arm 37, carrying counter-weight 39 adjustably secured by screw 40. Circuit controlling device 10 is generally known as a front Contact and its terminals are connected to the rear binding posts 16 and 17, by metal extensions 13 and 19, and 'flexible conductors 20V 'and 21, passingfthrough insulated guide strip' 22. Circuit controlling device 11, is generally known as the-back contactl and its terminals' are connected to frontbinding posts 23 and24= through metalextensions 25 and 26, and cables 27 and 28, also'p'assing through guide strip 22. Binding posts 29429 are four in number and form the terminals for the windings on the stators of the relay motor, conductors 32, 33, 35 and 36 connecting to said posts. Binding posts 30, form the terminals for thermostat 31, of any well known construction and the terminals of which are placed in the circuit of one of the stator windings, preferably the phase having the lower inductance, as for example the track phase of a track relay. Also attached to contact bar 7, by screws 42-42, is lever 4.3, said lever being the .110

plastic cement and are heldin place by the clamp-v ing effect of screws 49-49, a pliable gasket 51-51,

serving to prevent dust or other foreign matter from entering the relay interiorrm l g Also forming part of case 44, are machined lugs, or projections 60-60, rigidly's'ecured yin which are studs 61-61 acting to locate stator 62, preierably termed a core, with respect to stator 53,

nuts 65-65 securing said core in place. Core.

62, comprises lamina 63 and 64, bracket 66, containing bearing 67 adapted to guide the upper end A of shaft 69 being clamped between said stator, or core 62 and nuts 65.

Rotor 68, comprises shaft 69, to which is rigidly secured flanged supportv 70, carrying metal rotor shell 71, secured by rivets 72-72, and has the lower end of shaft 69 stepped in bearing 73, more fully described in my co-pending application Serial Number 65,398 iled October 28, 1925, the .upper end being guided by bearing 67, the protruding portion carrying lever 74, the outer end of which, is limited by stops 74a and 7417 secured to stator, or core 62, and is pivotally connected to link 77,by screw 76, said link being kalso pivotally connected to lever 43by screw 43a. Pin 75 serves to secure lever 74 tov shaft 69.

Incandescent lamps 78 and 79 adequately secured in case 44, and receiving energy from the source supplying the relay windings, are controlled by manually operated switch 80 for inspection purposes, and by thermostat 116, said thermostat acting to cut in said lamps upon a. predetermined lowering of temperature Within the case 44, said lamps thereafter acting to increase the temperature within saidcase. d

The operation of my improved relay is as fcllowsL-Figs. 1, 2, and 3, illustrate what is known in the art as a quick-acting two position relay. Energizing of windings on stator 6 2, causes rotor 68 to actuate lever 74 through the included angle H, moving from stop 74h, to stop 74a, this movement being known as picking up of the relay tothe front contact position,Vv and, as said movement occurs, the circuit through contacts 10--10 will be closed and those through 11-11 will be opened, such opening and closing being more fully described in my co-pending application for Letters Patent Serial Number 65,399 iiled OctoberZSth, 1925. 13e-energizing of said windings will cause lever 74 to return to stop 74h, by action of counter-weight 39, said last named movement causing the circuits through contacts 10-10 to be opened, and those through contacts 11-11 to be closed, this being known as dropping away to the back-contact position.

As shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 3, lever 74 is assumed to be traveling from stop 74b to stop 74a, the

vthe relay case.

Further, by the novel arrangement of an automatically controlled thermostat 117 in series with, and adjacent to, winding 35 of said relay, any extraordinary condition, as extreme weather, producing a temperature inside said relay case, so low that, the heat from the stator windings combined with that of the automatically controlled heating units, is not suflicient to maintain adequate heat, will cause said thermostat 117 to act to open the circuit in which it is placed, thereby calling attention to the extreme condition existing within saidvreIay. -Under ordinary operation such a condition is only'established if one, `or both of the heating units should burn out, whereafter no auxiliary heat could be supplied to the relay interior.

Having described my invention, I now claimz l. An alternating currentY relay comprising a stator having a plurality of windings'thereon, a magnetic core having an axis parallel to the axis of said stator and arranged to furnish an air gap between said stator and said core, a non-magnetic metallic rotor positioned to operate in said air gap, contacting mechanism operated by said rotor, in combination with thermostatic means connected to so control at least one of said windings that vsaid relay becomes inoperative upon a predetermined reduction in temperature of the atmosphere surrounding said relay.

2. In an alternating current relay, in combination, a stator having a plurality of windings adapted to be fed from a source ofv electrical-energy, a rotor the operation ofV which is inuenced by induction from said stator, contacting means actuated by said rotor, and a thermostat so connected in one of said windings that said vrotor becomes inoperative tor actuate said contacts upon a predetermined reduction of the temperature of the atmosphere surrounding said relay.

3. In an alternating current relay, a housing comprising a stator having ar winding ythereon vadapted to be fed from a source of electrical energy, a rotor the operation of which is influenced by induction produced by said stator winding, contacting means operated by said rotor, a thermostat connected to make the rotor inoperative upon a predetermined reduction in the ambient temperature, a heating unit positioned to heat the interior of saidV housing, and thermostatic means operating to cut said heating unit intovoperaf tion upon such a reduction of the atmospheric temperature within said housing as to endanger proper functioning` of said relay.

" vOSCAR A.jROSS. 

